Downing Street moved last night to head off attempts to force out the scandal-ridden John Prescott as deputy leader of the Labour party.

'John has the absolute confidence of the Prime Minister,' a spokesman said, despite increasingly open moves by supporters of potential successors to secure backing for a removal.

Prescott's position as both Deputy Prime Minister and Tony Blair's number two in the party has been eroding since it emerged last month that he had an affair with his former diary secretary.

It will be further undermined by a newspaper revelation today that less than two hours after Blair left to visit Washington last week, the man left in charge was playing croquet at his grace-and-favour country home, Dorneywood in Buckinghamshire.

Blair sought to defuse anger over the sex scandal by abolishing his deputy's sprawling cabinet department and by stripping him of many duties, yet left him with Dorneywood and other perks.

Downing Street's backing, said Labour sources, underscored Blair's fear that an early contest to succeed Prescott would see the pro-Blair and Brownite camps fielding proxy candidates. But with growing backbench concern over Prescott's perks, leading potential contenders were said to be the Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain, Education Secretary Alan Johnson and Constitutional Affairs minister Harriet Harman.